


I Said "Give Me A Break", Not "Break My Hand"!

by AsagiStilinski



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Adopted Children, Broken Bones, Children, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Hair Braiding, Humor, Injury, Insecurity, Kid Fic, M/M, Parenthood, Yami Yuugi | Atem has his own body
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-24
Updated: 2019-03-24
Packaged: 2019-12-06 21:41:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,474
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18225776
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AsagiStilinski/pseuds/AsagiStilinski
Summary: Recently settling into parenthood, Atem and Seto have developed certain routines with their kids, such as Atem making their lunch and Seto brushing their hair, but when Seto breaks his hand and that routine is disrupted, Atem is going to have to put his insecurities aside and take over the hair-styling portion of their daily routineThat is, if their daughters will let him





	I Said "Give Me A Break", Not "Break My Hand"!

**Author's Note:**

> Sunday prompt fic: "Hair styling", I need to write more kid fics

Nine months

Atem and Seto Kaiba had been parents for nine months

It was _bliss_

Exhausting, but still bliss

They had adopted Aki and Shiori- who were seven and five respectively- nine months ago, and by this point, they had started settling into their new lives quite nicely

Routines were built, patterns were made, and the kids had really come to like their new fathers

The one problem with routines, however, is that when someone _breaks_ a routine, things can get a little.... hair-raising....

"Daddy Daddy I want a mermaid braid!!"

The scream was followed by the pitter patter of little footsteps, and Seto spun around immediately to bend down and hold his arms out, scooping Shiori up and giving her a tight hug

"A mermaid braid huh? I think I can accomplish that," he hummed, knowing that Aki wouldn't be far behind and turning again to hold his free hand out to the older girl

"And what about you?"

"I want a ponytail! A big one!"

"A big ponytail? I can do that too," he promised joyfully, heading towards the girls' bedroom so he could do their hair, Atem following quickly behind them

"You know, I can do a ponytail," he offered as they stepped into the room, watching his husband set Shiori down on the edge of her bed and grabbing her brush from the desk where he had put it earlier

"Oh um.... that's ok Papa, I don't mind waiting on Daddy," Aki replied quickly, hopping up on the bed next to her sister and grabbing a hair tie from the desk

"Oh... a-alright then, that's fine,"

Seto glanced up at Atem, a bit sympathetically, mid-way through brushing their youngest daughter's hair

He knew that Atem wanted to style their daughters' hair once in a wile too, it's just that neither of them ever wanted him to

Neither of them really knew why, since the beginning of their lives as parents Seto had just naturally taken on the role of brushing and styling their daughters' hair, or perhaps better put, their daughters had naturally drifted towards him when either of their fathers had offered

Seto sympathized with Atem, he clearly wanted to help but didn't want to push, and neither of them knew how to go about convincing them to let him try

Luckily for them, life has a way of setting that sort of thing into place for you

....

Well, highly dependent on how one would define "luckily", that is....

It just so happened that later that afternoon, the universe provided them with a solution for their problems

"For the last time Nakamura, I am _NOT_ available the week of the 13th! It's my daughter's birthday and I am not going to miss it no matter how much you beg, I don't care what you have to rearrange, we are not meeting until after the 13th!"

And with that, Seto slammed the phone down, flopping down in his office chair tiredly and rubbing his hands down his face

"Idiots," he huffed in frustration

"I'm surrounded by _idiots_...."

He was beyond frustrated with the people he worked with, not so much his own employees, but partners, associates, and general third parties that he needed to make connections and deals with

_Clearly_ no one else in the damn world cared about their own kids as they all seemed somewhat flabbergasted by the thought that Seto was now constantly rearranging his work schedule around the needs of his daughters

...

Or maybe they just hadn't expected Seto Kaiba of all people to put work _third_ , after his children and husband, though he didn't know _why_ , he had always put Mokuba first and then when he and Atem became romantically involved he started putting him ahead of work too

Actually, it's a long-running misconception that he always puts work first, it had always come third after Mokuba and dueling, and once he met Atem, work started coming fourth

Really, he didn't know how this was a surprise to anyone

And they had better get used to it sooner rather than later, sure it was taking alot of time away from work for him to take care of two young kids, but soon enough, they'd be having a third, and a fourth, and a fifth.........

Let's just say he and Atem wanted a big family

And when they eventually ended up with a newborn? Seto would be lucky if he spent _any_ time at work

The idea made him smile though, his heart beating a little bit more strongly, his lips curving up into a warm, affectionate expression

This had been all he'd ever wanted, to have a family.... a _real_ family.....

And now he had _daughters_ , he was a _dad_ , he was actually starting to get choked up just thinking about it

He had the family he always wanted, and a husband who loved him, and they were planning to have more kids, save them from the kind of hell that he and Mokuba had been through....

He knew that he and Atem had promised to wait atleast a year before going back to the orphanage, but he was already excited over the prospect

With his heart fluttering and his head in the clouds, he almost didn't hear the phone ringing

Blinking himself out of his daydream, he hurriedly picked up the phone and cleared his throat

"Kaiba, what is it?" he asked gruffly, expecting one of the many idiots he had to deal with on a daily basis

_"Mr. Kaiba! This is Suzume with Peach And Berry Grooming, just calling to let you know that Kiki is ready to go home, I tried calling your husband but he isn't answering so-"_

Atem wasn't answering? Why wasn't he answering!?

"Thanks, I'll be there to pick her up within the hour, when did you try calling my husband?"

_"Oh I've tried twice in the last half hour but-"_

"Thank you, I'll be there," he said quickly and curtly, hanging up and rising to his feet, anxiety starting to flood through his veins as he hurriedly dialed Atem's number

_Pick up pick up pick up pick up pick up-!!_

_"Daddy?"_

Aki? That was Aki, why was Aki answering?!

"Aki, where's Papa? Why are you answering the phone?" he asked anxiously

_"Papa is taking a shower 'cause he got glitter all over him, Uncle Isono is watching us,"_

"I see.... and have you heard the phone ringing? Why hasn't Uncle Isono answered?"

_"He's been finger-painting with Shiori in the art room, I've been in the kitchen eating strawberries, I heard it ring a couple of times but you and Papa said not to answer the phone unless it's a number we recognize so-"_

"Yes and I'm proud of you for listening to us," he said with a quiet, relieved sigh

So Atem was just washing up after an art project, good.... no emergency....

_"Thanks Daddy, did you want something?"_

"Oh .. no, I just wanted to make sure everything was ok, the groomer called, I'll be picking up Kiki and bringing her home in about an hour so tell Papa when he gets out of the shower that he doesn't have to worry about it, ok sweetie?"

_"Ok Daddy!"_

"Do you need me to pick up anything on the way home? Something for your craft project maybe?"

_"Ummmm.... oh! We ran out of blue glitter, it's ... kinda all over Papa......"_

Poor Atem

His sympathy for his husband wouldn't stop Seto from snickering about it though

"Ok, blue glitter, what shade?"

_"Blue Eyes! Blue Eyes blue!!"_

Blue Eyes blue? Now why did he suspect this mystery project might just be something for him?

"Ok, light blue glitter, anything else?"

_"Ice cream ice cream!! Peanut butter and chocolate!"_

"Ok, do you _both_ want peanut butter and chocolate?" he chuckled softly, not even prepared to argue about the ice cream, sure they had some at home but they didn't have _peanut butter and chocolate_ at home

~~Let it never be questioned that Seto Kaiba is the biggest push-over of the parenting world~~

_"Ummm.... no, Shiori wants cookies and cream,"_

"Ok, one peanut butter and chocolate, one cookies and cream,"

He knew Atem would want toffee-crunch, he always did

_"Yay, thank you Daddy!!"_

"Ofcourse Princess, I'll be home soon ok?"

_"Ok Daddy, I love you!!"_

Seto Kaiba was not one to cry easily, but _everytime_ his daughters said they loved him...

"I love you too Princess, I'll see you soon,"

_"Ok, bye Daddy!"_

"Bye bye Aki,"

The line went dead and he exhaled, slowly setting the phone back on the receiver and leaning back in his chair

Now that he had nearly had a stroke from worry, he was incredibly hot and uncomfortable

He didn't want to take his coat off- after all, once a dramatic bitch always a dramatic bitch- so maybe he should open a window for a wile...

Decision made, he rose from his chair, stepping up to the window behind him and unlocking the latch, one hand on the sill as he lifted it with the other hand, preparing to lock it again when he heard the phone ring once more

Thinking it might be Aki calling him back, he spun around to answer the phone.....

And breifly forgot that he hadn't _quite_ locked the window yet

The window pane dropped, and before he could pull his hand away from the sill-......

All the way down on the first floor, the Kaiba Corp employees could hear their boss screaming

 

~+~

 

"Daddy hurt his hand?"

"Yes... unfortunately Daddy hurt his hand pretty badly," Atem said slowly, wincing at the concerned looks on his children's faces

"Is... is he going to be ok?" Shiori asked quietly, her eyes already starting to water

"He's fine, he's going to be back to normal soon I promise, but he has to wear a splint for a few weeks, wich means that there are going to be a few changes until he gets better," he added gently

"Changes...? Like what?" Aki asked slowly

"Well until Daddy's hand gets better he's going to need us to work a little bit harder, and there will be some things he can't do anymore, he can't get his splint wet so he can't wash your hair anymore, or paint with you, or cook... and he can't put too much stress on his hand so he can't drive or carry you or lift heavy things that need both hands ... but there's no need to worry!! Uncle Mokuba and Uncle Isono have promised to lend even more assistance to us wile he's recovering, even Uncle Yugi and Uncle Joey will be around more, and there are still some things Daddy can do with us,"

The girls nodded, though Atem could tell they were somewhat unconvinced

"It'll be fine," he insisted again

"Now why don't you both finish your ice cream so we can go have a bath ok?"

"Ok Papa," they replied a bit solemnly, allowing Atem the moment he needed to breathe and collect his thoughts

He hoped Seto would be better soon, for all their sakes....

 

~+~

 

"This is going to be hell,"

"You know, as the one with a broken hand, shouldn't _I_ be the pessimist?" Seto noted, leaning back a little in the bath and closing his eyes

"Well in some ways yes, but considering that the girls like you better-"

" _What?_ " Seto said slowly, immediately turning around to glare at his husband

"Atem they do _not_ like me better! What the hell is wrong with you!? Where did you get such a stupid idea!?"

"They do, they like everything you do better, they like the way you cook better, they like the way you read to them better, they like the way do their hair better, they even like the way you wake them better,"

Seto's eyes rolled so hard that he could swear, for a moment there, he could see his past life

"Ok first of all, they like the way I cook better because you _can't cook_ , when your capabilities extend through the realms of sandwiches, salads, and not much else, you can't expect to have a great reputation for 'cooking', second of all, they do not like the way I read to them better, I don't know where you got that idea from, third, they only like the way I do their hair 'better' because you've never _done_ their hair-"

"Because they won't let me!"

"-and finally, they do _not_ like the way I wake them up better, where are you getting these ludicrous ideas from!?"

Atem huffed, nose wrinkling as he continued to run the cloth over his husband's body, as Seto couldn't get his splint wet, he was "stuck" with Atem helping him with bathing

Decidedly not the worst part of this "broken hand" thing

"Seto, _please_ , they like you better, they were devastated when they learned about your hand-"

"And gee, that couldn't have, _at all_ , been due to the fact that we have two very compassionate and empathetic children who are worried about their father, now could it?"

"W-Well-"

"Look, you're insecure, I understand that- though I don't quite understand _why_ , you're a magnificent father, the most incredible parent I've ever met, and those girls love you to _peices_ , you have nothing to worry about, that may not help your insecurity, but it's true,"

He nodded slowly, sighing loudly as he grabbed the bottle of shampoo and poured a generous amount into his hand, gently scrubbing it into his husband's hair

"We'll see about that," he mumbled, eyes averted

Seto heaved a sigh, leaning back into his husband's touch

"What we'll see about is if, after these few weeks, you gain any confidence as a parent," he grumbled back

He knew how much their daughters loved Atem, how much they loved _both_ of their fathers, he just hoped that Atem would eventually see it....

 

~+~

 

"Daddy, Daddy!! Look!! Papa drew faces on our pancakes!"

"Did he now?" Seto smiled affectionately, looking down at the rabbit-shaped pancakes- no doubt made by the chef- and at the bunny faces that Atem had crafted onto` them made out of fruit, syrup, and wipped cream

"They look pretty cute, do you girls like them?"

"Yes!" both sisters cheered ecstatically

"Well good, I'm glad to hear that, maybe Papa can actually learn to cook a few things and can make breakfast for you in the future, hm?"

He was smirking, he was staring over his shoulder at Atem and smirking, the bastard knew exactly what he was doing and Atem loathed it

"Yeah!!"

"Oh Papa will you!?"

Atem took a break from glaring at his husband long enough to smile down at his daughters, giving a small shrug

"Um, sure, I suppose so, after all, Papa is the one who didn't want me using the stove, oven, microwave, or toaster," he noted with a smirk of his own

"No, I wanted you to learn _how_ to use the stove, oven, microwave, and toaster before you actually _tried_ to use them, for the sake of the house, the family, and the greater good,"

Atem rolled his eyes, but hearing Shiori and Aki giggle lightened his mood enough that he was no longer able to hold his glare on his beloved husband

"Alright kids, go on and eat, finish your breakfast so you can get dressed, Daddy and Papa have to work on the new tournament today so we need to get to the office, you're going to hang out with Uncle Yugi and his husband wile we work," Seto encouraged, causing Atem to roll his eyes, he wished Seto would just call Joey their uncle like Atem did but he knew that the two of them still had some animosity towards eachother so it would likely never happen...

His mood softened a little though as Seto kissed their daughters on their heads, then turned to Atem and gave him a kiss on the lips

"I'm going to get dressed,"

"Are you sure you can handle that alone?" Atem asked skeptically, eyeing his husband's splint

"Atem, I'm one-handed, not comatose," he noted dryly

"... Whatever you say...." the pharaoh said slowly, watching in disinterest as his husband left the kitchen

And about fifteen minutes later, he received a text from the CEO with one simple word on the screen

_help_

 

~+~

 

Once Seto was squared away and the girls were dressed, the truly concerning part of this experience began

"Shiori, Aki, come here and let me brush your hair," he called out, already feeling nervous

What if they didn't like it? What if he pulled their hair by accident? What if he just made the tangles worse and he had to _cut_ their hair? What if-!?

His stomach was already sinking but there was nothing he could do, Seto couldn't do it with just one hand and Mokuba was already at work, Isono was with Mokuba so....

The sisters trudged in as if they were marching to a death toll, wich really didn't do much for Atem's disposition on the subject

"Are you sure we have to today?" Shiori muttered, her head hung, Atem wincing in response, was he really... that bad...?

"It'll be fine," Aki said quickly, patting her sister on the back as she stepped forward, like she was putting herself in front of the executioner

"Papa, can I have a braid?"

"Ofcourse sweetie," he promised, patting the end of the bed and grabbing the brush

Braids were easy, he could pull this off without a problem, yet... she seemed nervous....

"Would you like to sing a song wile I braid your hair?" he asked suddenly, pulling her attention away from her nervousness

"Ohhh! Can we sing _I Just Can't Wait To Be King_!?" she asked excitedly, drawing a bright, beaming smile from Atem

"Ofcourse we can! Do you want to start?"

Without even answering, Aki started to sing, bright and excited, and clearly not minding that Atem was brushing her hair

" _I'm gonna be a mighty king, so enemies beware!_ "

" _Well I've never seen a king of beasts with quite so little hair,_ "

" _I'm gonna be the main event, like no king was before, I'm brushing up on looking down, I'm working on my roar!_ "

" _Thus far a rather uninspiring thing,_ "

" _Oh I just can't wait to be king!!_ "

And as they sang, Shiori hurried towards them and started dancing, pulling a giggle from Atem's throat

Maybe, just maybe, this wouldn't be so bad after all...

The girls were certainly distracted now, maybe he could pull this off

 

~+~

 

"Daddy Daddy!! Look at my hair! Look what Papa did to my hair!"

Seto glanced over his shoulder, smiling sweetly at Aki as she came rushing back into the kitchen, sporting a high ponytail braid

"Well well, aren't you beautifull?" he chuckled, reaching down to pick her up- before remembering he couldn't and frowning a little bit, damn.... this one-handed thing was going to be harder than he thought....

"Isn't it pretty!? And look at Shiori's!!" she cried, stepping aside and nodding at the door as the younger girl ran in, twirling in her dress and pointing excitedly at the crown braid Atem had done for her

"Wow, that's gorgeous sweetpea!" he smiled adoringly

"Thanks, I'm glad you like it," Atem smirked as he followed his daughters into the kitchen, immediately leaning down and giving his husband a soft kiss

"I do, I think they look magnificent, where were you hiding this hairstyling genius of your's all this time?" he asked teasingly, standing up and taking Atem's hand

"What, you think this is natural?" the pharaoh teased, gesturing to his own hair

Though, the look on Seto's face expressed that he did, in fact, think it was natural

... Huh, imagine that....

"Well you'll have to teach me how to do pretty things like this so I'll be on my game when my hand gets better,"

"Ooooor Papa can do our hair from now on," Aki offered, wiggling her eyebrows

Seto's eyebrows raised, sincerely surprised as he turned his attention to Atem

"What did you do to them?" he asked in mild surprise

"Why isn't it obvious, my love?" Atem smirked back, reaching down to pick up both girls in his arms

"I braided our daughters' hair,"

Incidentally, Seto figured, he was going to win that bet of their's

Atem seemed more confident in his parenting already

"Just one question, why didn't you two want Papa to style your hair before?" Seto asked curiously

The girls both grew quiet and shy at that, muttering to themselves before Aki finally spoke up

"Um... well..... 'cause ... Papa's hair is so..... _unique_ ... it's fine for him but we didn't want our hair to look like that,"

Atems mouth fell open, clearly offended, and Seto?

He laughed so hard that he nearly started to cry


End file.
